The next Chapter
by alexmariee74
Summary: After the shooting Rose is determined to show she is still the best gardian for Lissa. But after another Stigori attack, her behaviour changes. But why?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

My recovery was slow after the shooting in the court. Typical really, running for so long, wishing to get back to protecting and helping Lissa, and she ends up having to save me! Lying on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling. Today, two long months after the shooting, I was starting my duties of protecting, not just my best friend, Lissa, but Her Royal Highness, Queen Vasilisa Dragomir! Anyone else may have been scared at the thought of being in charge of protecting the Queen, but me? No, no fear, no nerves. When you've been best friends with the queen since you were six, how could you be scared? You can't.

After a while, work was the last thing on my mind as Dimitri slide into bed beside me. Without looking away from the crack in the ceiling that I had been studying, I angled my body so my head rested on his muscular chest. He placed one incredibly toned arm across my shoulders. That was as much as he could embrace me without making me look away from the tedious white ceiling.

"What are you thinking about Roza?" Dimitri's soft accent whispered in my ear.

The sound of his Russian nickname for me warmed my heart causing me to roll over so more of my body was against his. "I'm starting working again tomorrow" I said looking into his deep brown pools that were his eyes.

"And you'll do amazingly" he replied, obviously thinking I was nervous. The way that his words gave me confidence, made me think that maybe I was a little nervous.

"You really think that?" I placed one hand on his chest waiting for his reply. He didn't use words for that reply. My words were followed by him placing a tender, soft, sweet kiss on my lips.

"I trust you Roza" with my face only inches from his I leant down and placed a kiss on his lips before curling up against his body. I had an important day tomorrow, and I couldn't afford to be tired. With Dimitri's strong arms wrapped around me, I closed my eyes, and let sleep surround me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I was woken by the smell of hot chocolate and the sounds of crackling bacon. I sat up to find Dimitri was gone. Obviously making me breakfast. Grasping the mug full of hot chocolate that was sitting on the side I slowly wandered into the next room. It wasn't all that large but was big enough for me and Dimitri. We'd kept it plain as we didn't know how long we'd be there. So the walls were just painted white with the odd painting here and there. A warm red carpet covered the floor, which was complicated perfectly by the warm oak table.

Gently placing my mug on the coffee table I walked with a bounce to my stride over to where Dimitri was standing.

"So Comrade, what you cooking?" his sweet crooked smile crossed his face by my use of his old nickname from our 'teacher and student' days.

"Well you have a big day. So I thought I'd better cook for you, as you'll need something a bit better than just cereal in you when your defending our queen." He placed the sizzling bacon onto one of the two slices of bread that he had placed on a plate beside him and then placed the other on top. Carefully cutting it in half, he passed me the plate.

"Thank you Comrade" I said as I walked over to the table which I had placed my hot chocolate upon and began to eat. For a guy that was such a good fighter it was surprising how good a cook Dimitri was.

I'd had to rush my breakfast as I needed to get to Lissa. So as soon as I ate I rushed to the bedroom and changed into loose comfy jeans and an old t-shirt. Which I then covered with a decent looking jumper. Decent yet practical. Perfect. Slipping on my old trainers, I said good bye to Dimitri, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. I walked out the door and towards the main court building.

I found Lissa sitting on the small sofa that was placed in the main living room of her apartment, cuddled up to Christian. Still in her little pink nightdress. Great, Christian had spent the night again. I was really starting to miss the bond that me and Lissa had once shared.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

I don't know what Lissa and Christian had been talking about, or even if they'd been talking at all, but the moment I walked in, Christians cheeky looking grin that had been on his pale skinned face vanished. It got replaced by a blank look, which made me feel awkward. We held eye control for a short second, before he looked away and stood up. "I should be going", he said as he placed a tender kiss on Lissa's forehead and walked out the door which I had just walked through.

Lissa stood up, cautiously, a little confused on what had just happened, but she came up to me to give me a hug. "Ready for your first day Rose?"

"Of course", I said making sure I had a smile on my face. Stepping back, I looked Lissa up and down. "You going to get changed?"

"Yes, I have to after all. As we're going out for a bit." Lissa's cheerful voice spoke, as she walked, almost skipped to her large wardrobe, obviously about to get ready. "With Christian" she then shut the door behind her.

Great. I was about to spend a day with the guy that blamed me for the fact he can no longer see his last member of family. Though he had not yet told me, I could tell he blamed me for Tasha's arrest. He was the one, so called, friend that had not visited me during my slow recovery. Lissa had visited, but always alone. That had surprised me until I first saw him a few weeks ago, when I started being allowed to walk outside of my room. He'd ignored me, as I'd shouted across to him, from one side of the courtyard to the other. He was now doing all he could to avoid me.

Walking towards the garages, I could make out the faint figure of Christian, and someone else. Christian must have been allowed a guardian since I last spoke to him. As I continued to walk nearer to the cars that we would be travelling in, I began to recognise the features of the other figure. When I was only two steps away from them I realised who the other figure was. Eddie. In the long time, that I had had to spend in my apartment room, Eddie must have been assigned to guarding Christian.

Myself and Christian exchanged quick smiles, before Lissa spoke, cutting off any words I may have wanted to say. "We all ready?" Lissa asked before taking another step forward towards the car and towards Christian. The man, dressed in a guards formal uniform, which had been standing by the car, opened the door, ready for Lissa and Christian to climb into the car. Christian acted on the man's actions and climbed into the vehicle and scooted across. Lissa then followed him in. I and Eddie took the front seats, with Eddie behind the wheel. This was going to be one awkward car journey.

We'd been on the road for about twenty minutes, and few words were being passed around the four of us. Part of me wished to be in the car that followed us, full of the rest of Lissa's guardians that had to follow us, everywhere we went. Something churned in my stomach. A familiar unwanted feeling. I shifted in my seat, discomforted by the feeling. Eddie must have noticed my movements, as he passed me a glance, to make sure everything was alright. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, to make sure he knew everything was okay. As we drove on further, the feeling grew, nausea flooded over me. Now I know what that is, I quickly placed an arm on Eddie's arm, and gave him a warning glance. He instantly knew what I was saying. I felt the car jolt as Eddie stepped on the gas. "What's going on?" I could hear Lissa ask behind me.

I didn't get a chance to reply, as the car skidded to a halt. They were there.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

A sickening feeling filled my stomach, as I felt the air in the car feel with fear and panic. Eddie swiftly opened the car door, leaving me behind in the car with Lissa and Christian. With one quick glance behind me; to find Christians arm securely around Lissa; I opened the door on my side of the car and sprung out to see what I faced.

In front of me, dotted through the large number of guardians that had already sprung to action, stood six Stigroi. I recognised one, a tall guy, with dark hair, that looked odd with the bright red of his eyes. I had seen him walking the long halls of the building I had been imprisoned within for the time that Dimitri had been Stigroi.

As a short, slender female Stigroi leapt at me, I automatically jumped into a defence mood. Kicking out a strong high kick I felt the impact my foot made to the monsters face. For a short moment of a second I thought about how it would feel odd to be fighting the Stigroi, without the emotions of Lissa inside of my mind. That was before I noticed that the emotions were there, but in an odd yet different way. I couldn't so much feel her emotions as I have once been able to do. Before I had time to finish thinking about the difference of how this felt, I had the short women aim another blow to my ribs. Rapidly I ducked out of the way dodging the fist that was flying towards me. With the power the movement seemed to hold, it looked as if it would of easily of cracked one, maybe even two of ribs.

Reaching my left hand into the inside of my jacket pocket, I searched for my stake, just to find that I could not grasp it. Another strong punch headed for my lower stomach. This woman was proving to be a better fighter than I had suspected.

I decided to start quickly searching my mind for any thoughts to where my stake may have ended up. In the time that I was think about where it was going I not only landed to full power punches but I also had time to realise the difference of Lissa's thoughts. I couldn't actually hear Lissa's thoughts as such, but I found that I was hearing what she was saying. It was like I was standing right next to, and if I didn't know any better, then I would have thought that she had snuck up behind me, in her normal irritating manner. For a fact, I knew that Lissa was many metres away, being heavily guided by three guardians, while her and Christian sat inside of the car. From the words that she was saying I could tell that she was radiating fear. Terrified at the thought of what was going on out here, and the ideas of what was too come.

I stared into the eyes of my attacker, at the same moment her body tensed ready to push her hand into my ribs ready to rip out my heart and other of my vital organs. As if by magic, flames surrounded her. Starting at her slim lined shoulders, it worked its way around her both. As the flames grew, she thrust her hand out and punched into my chest!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

A grey faze covered the view which I could see. Everything I could hear became decent and quiet. Pain smothered my every thought, my every emotion. For as many years as I could remember, I'd been taught to forget your own pain, forget your fear. I'd succeeded for many years. Yet right here, right now, that seemed like an impossible challenge.

Through my hazed vision I could see in front of me that the slender Stigroi I'd been battling had started to crumble down to the ground, the flames still raging around her. I forced my body to stay upright, fighting against my instinct to fold my body in half, to grip my chest. But before I had the chance to go with that instinct, I say a shadow creeping up behind me. Moving my arms away from my lower chest, I swung round in one swift movement, doing a flying kick straight into the male Stigroi's hip. Before my feet landed on the ground, the darkness surrounded me.

I was in Russia once again, in Dimitri's home village. The darkness seemed to of been absorbed into the dream. Each garment of my clothing was charcoal in colour, and in texture. I brushed my hand over the side of the picket fence that run along Dimitri's old homes street. As my fingertips came into contact with it, it seemed to crumble away. Each object, each piece of my surrounding that I touched, seemed to fade away, leaving me with a long dark corridor. I continued to place one foot in front of the other. A black painted wicker box sat on a high mounted table, just metres away. Dimitri, his mother and his sisters standing around, their heads in their hands, tears seeping from the corners. I strode one long final step forward, curious about what was inside this mysterious box. I looked down. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Dimitri's beautiful face looked over me. His rigid jaw bone tense with fear and uncertainty, as his glimmering eyes looked down into mine. His hair, untidy as if he'd rushed from where ever he had been to e by my side at this very moment. His breathing erratic and his heart unsteady as if he had ran.

Under his breath he mumbled something in Russian, before grabbing my shoulders and dragging my numb body up against his. Due to the obvious pain killers I'd been injected with, I couldn't feel a single muscle, limb or bone in my body. Yet somehow I managed to feel the warmth and comfort from Dimitri's embrace. It was enough to make me realise that the place I'd been a second ago before, had all just been a dream. Nothing true or real about it. Focusing hard on the limbs I so badly needed to control, I forced my arms to slowly move upwards to wrap around his neck. Sharp pain and agony rushed through my stomach at just the idea of movement. I moved my arms to grip my stomach in no time at all.

"Rose? What's wrong? Rose?" Dimitri's voice sounded as if he was in as much pain as I could feel.

Concentrating once again, I tried to remember the run of events before my black out. The Stigroi had surrounded the cars, and I'd had to join Eddie in combat against them. But then what? The female. The sharp blow to my stomach. I could remember. I different type of agony invaded my body. I had fallen in battle once again. And it wasn't as if I'd proven I had recovered from the last fall. I was starting to prove that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't made to be the guardian of the Queen after all.

"Rose, are you alright?" Dimitri's worried face looked down on to mine. I moved one hand slowly up to his face, running one aching finger along his prominent cheek bone.

"I think I'm fine. What happened? How'd I end up here?" My voice was quiet, as if it had faded.

"Shh! I was told to make sure you didn't speak too much. The medication for the pain may make you tired. Plus you were out of it for about five hours." Dimitri's voice was soft and caring, and as I looked at his face, I saw his jaw start to relax. I relieved smile even started to play on his lips.

"Five hours? Seriously? How did I end up here?"

"Well you black out at the scene of the attack, and if it wasn't for Eddie, you probably would have died there as well. When you landed on the floor, apparently a male Stigroi came after you, thinking you'd be an easy kill! Eddie fought him off, and kind of saved your live Roza" his face almost had a proper smile, and yet mine I could feel, was purely full of shock.

"Died? But why would I just black out?"

"The doctor examined you when you got back to the court. The Stigroi had snatched a while chunk of your stomach out of you. Nothing too serious. It will heal in time. Just muscle and skin, so they've replaced what they can and stitched you up. But Rose, you have to take it easy for a few weeks if not months. The court has said that as it happened in combat, that I can take a few days off to keep an eye on you, and then after that I can shorten my hours to help you recuperate." Dimitri seemed uncertain about his words as if he already knew my reaction. "I'd have to be ready to jump if there was an emergency though of course."

My mind was full of questions. Weeks, if not months of not protecting Lissa? Who would keep her out of trouble? And Dimitri, taking time off? After only just starting to be trusted again? That could not happen.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The gentle lift and fall of his chest beneath my hair wasn't even enough to sooth my state of mind. So many questions whirled like a pool of water through my maze of a mind. The white ceiling staring down at me seemed to only beam more unanswered questions, making the distraction that I longed for seemed impossible to find.

Carefully rolling my healing body over, I felt the full impact of my injuries. My aching body felt like a dead weight, a weight I would not be able to carry for more than a couple of short sharp seconds. I felt weak, in a way I had never done before, weak like I had let something down, someone down. Gritting my teeth silently, I continued the clean, slow movement, till my body was perfectly angled above Dimitri's.

"So should I give my perfect doctor a little thank you gift?" My voice didn't sound quite as I had wished it to. The pain was getting to me. This was unlike me, pain and showing suffering was not in my nature, why was I being so badly affected?

Lazily, he placed one hand in the centre of my chest, above my injuries, and in his usual way placing it in such a position I couldn't even make a joke out it, to create the mood I so badly wanted, so badly needed. "Roza you know that you're meant to be resting."

He continued to put no pressure through his hand on my chest, so I gently pushed against it, placing my lips against his. The pressure I kept soft, but the feeling was what I had needed. His soft damp lips moved with the same longing as mine, if anything they were drawing me closer, he was the one wanting more. I followed his lead, pushing harder against his hand, until I could feel his solid chest beneath my body. Gently as not to touch my wounds, he removed his hand from my chest, moving it round and placed in the arch between my shoulder blades. The pressure increased from his hand pushing my body nearer to his. Pain shot through my stomach up to my chest, I wanted to scream, but I held it in, but a gasp escaped as my how body winced from the agony. My efforts weren't enough, he had noticed my reaction, and I was quickly being lifted above him by at least an inch.

"You should sleep Roza, we shouldn't be doing this now." Dimitri's voice was stern yet soft, in its normal odd mix that soothed my mind. I pulled my body across lying back down beside him, placing my confused head on his soft chest. The questions were back, it seemed as if nothing I would do would rid me of the question, nor find me any answers.


End file.
